Ding~dong~
The doorbell rang, and the faint sound of quick footsteps came from inside the room.
The door opened, and White, looking quite average in appearance but clearly more mature, was the first to poke his head out.
"Sato~!"
A delighted voice sounded, followed immediately by a massive Ursaring hug.
Sato didn't resist. He just gave the other's back a few light pats, signaling that the hug was enough and there was no need to get all clingy…
Soon, more footsteps came from inside the house, followed by a series of excited voices.
Sato "pried" off White, who was still clinging to him, and then nodded in greeting to everyone.
White, Will, Rose, Clair, and the current Elite Four member of Johto… DRAGON MASTER Lance!
[The Braves Fight the Evil Dragon Adventure Team™] had finally reunited after all these years.
"Come in, come in! You're the last one!"
Compared to his previous clueless personality, Lance had become far more serene after becoming part of the Elite Four. His "aniki" aura had grown even stronger!
Now that all six were together again, there was so much to talk about. Just hearing about each person's experiences was enough to fill an entire day.
For example, White's parents had tricked him into returning home under the pretense of a serious illness, only to suddenly recover and take off on a trip around the world.
They left White completely dumbfounded as he was forced to manage the Family business alone.
Of course, White's dream of becoming a Breeder hadn't ended. In fact, he had become the top sponsor of Joseph's Breeder Competition.
Spending money on his hobby had become White's greatest joy in his free time.
Rose Joy had also long since passed her medical certification and, due to her exceptional abilities, had been directly assigned to the Johto League Headquarters. Her future was clearly headed toward management.
As for Clair, nothing more needed to be said. With Sato staying out of the spotlight and Elite Four Pryce yet to retire and return to run his own Gym, Blackthorn Gym was undoubtedly the "strongest Gym" in Johto.
However, Clair was still a bit too young and hadn't accumulated enough exp, so she wasn't eligible to participate in this Elite Four Tournament.
Will, on the other hand, had truly been pushing himself hard over the years. Coupled with several strokes of luck, he had grown at a rapid pace and was also one of the competitors in this Tournament.
Judging from Lance's clicking tongue in amazement, it seemed Will had recently caught a Slowbro that was particularly strong.
But since it was a Psychic type… Sato just smiled and kept quiet.
The most shocking development to everyone, however, was Sato's growth.
Defeating the current Ace Tournament Champion in a 6:0 sweep was nothing short of terrifying. So when they heard Sato was joining the Elite Four Tournament, it honestly felt only natural…
---◓---
The next day, Lance, Will, and Sato went together to the Pokémon Center to submit their registration forms.
The entry requirement for this E4 Tournament was simple: owning at least six Elite Four level Pokémon.
After a series of verifications, the three of them successfully received their competitor numbers and were informed of the tournament details.
The tournament would last for a full three months, mainly due to the intensity of Elite Four level battles and the time each match would take.
The first round would be a 3v3 points-based match. Aside from the current Elite Four members who would go directly to the semifinals, all other competitors would have to complete one round of battles. The top twelve ranked by points would then advance to the finals.
If multiple contestants were tied at the bottom, a 1v1 tiebreaker match would be held, and the winner would advance.
At the same time, since many Elite Four level Trainers held important responsibilities and couldn't leave their posts for long, the tournament wouldn't be limited to Mt. Silver alone.
Of course, the entire process would be organized and coordinated by the hosts, so the participants didn't have to worry about logistics.
As a Gym Leader, Sato could technically request to take challenges in Shadownight City. But since they were all part of the same "team," a quick question among themselves was enough to know everyone's circumstances.
Sato had already vanished for a whole year without issue; there was really no excuse to use the Gym as a reason not to come to Mt. Silver.
Three days later, registration for the Tournament closed, with a total of 43 Elite Four level Trainers signed up, far more than Sato had expected.
Sato's confusion was clearly understood by Lance.
"Every region has no shortage of Elite Four level Trainers. It's just that many of them don't work for the League, or they're not pushed into the spotlight as one of the regional Elite Four.
Ancient Families and Clans with long traditions, conglomerates, independent forces and organizations that acknowledge the League's leadership, lone powerful Trainers…
All sorts of people from all kinds of backgrounds; as long as they're not enemies of the League, can enter the tournament.
After all, the prizes for the Tournament are incredibly tempting… Not to mention, the top four finalists have a shot at becoming official Elite Four members-"
At this point, Sato couldn't help but interrupt Lance's long-winded explanation and asked directly, "Yada, yada… what are the prizes!? Why isn't it clearly listed in the handbook?"
Lance smiled from ear to ear. "Of course it's things like rare items and Apex Mimicry Zones slots~"
Apex Mimicry Zones!
Only those who had actually been there knew just how valuable such places could be. Sato had experienced the benefits firsthand. His desire to win instantly rose from 120% to 150%.
Seeing Sato get so fired up, even the usually quiet Will couldn't resist fanning the flames…
"…If you end up representing Johto in the Regional Championship and perform well, the prizes won't just be rare items. There's even a chance of receiving a Champion's Pokémon hatchling or an egg laid by a Champion level Pokémon."
'!!!!!!!!'
This time, Sato was genuinely shocked. The League was actually giving out Champion Pokémon hatchlings? When had they become so extravagant?
Lance chimed in again, picking up the conversation: "As for your original question on why the League doesn't publicly announce the prizes… it's to prevent outsiders from walking away with something that valuable."
"So… only if someone from within the League wins, there's a chance for Champion-"
"Whoa! That's just your own speculation! We never said a word! Nuh-uh~"
Lance threw an arm around Sato's shoulder with a smirk, his tone dripping with that unmistakable 'you know, I know, we all know' vibe.
Sato couldn't shake him off and eventually just let Lance hang there, quietly digesting the League's slick tactics.
'Haah… honestly…'
NOT BAD!
Even though Sato didn't lack Pokémon -and had Champion-lvl potential partners of his own- the way the League handled this made its people feel a true sense of belonging.
---◓---
The next day, the Johto Region's Elite Four Tournament officially began.
After a brief opening speech by Johto League branch President Riku Kitamura, the large screen directly displayed the faces of 39 competitors.
The portraits rolled, then slowly came to a stop. The first match pairing was quickly revealed.
Shadownight City's Sato VS Ecruteak City's Morty!
Shua shua shua...
In an instant, all eyes turned to the two of them.
After all, there was an unspoken rule in every tournament…
The first battle had to be exciting and spectacular!
•.
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New book on monday, Pokemon: Struggling to Survive. Already 50CH ahead on 🅿️🅰️✝️🆁 🅴🅾️🅽 /Romeloff.
Also, Pokemon: From the Start, I Set My Sights on a Shiny Metagross, chapters soon.